The Cure
by Vaneria Potter
Summary: My first Xman fic! Thoughts and opinions on the Cure in XMen 3. New Chapter: Wolverine!
1. Rogue

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own the X-Men or any associated characters. They belong to Marvel and whoever else._

_**Summary:** Different Points of View concerning the cure during the third Movie._

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Rogue:Is It Worth It? **

I was sitting in the lounge when they first announced it on TV.

A cure for the Mutant Gene.

Was it true? Could it be true? A chance to be free of the curse that everyone is calling a gift.

I run to the Professor's office, and burst in without knocking. He is sitting there with Storm and Logan, who is exchanging glares with a blue-furred mutant that I do not recognize. They exchange looks as I blurt out the question that I so desperately want the answer to.

They pause, and do not speak for a long moment. Then Storm tells me that no, they cannot. Because there is nothing to cure. She walks out of the room, obviously in a bad mood, but Logan gives me a look that I know well. A look that says that he knows where I am coming from, even if nobody else does. That whatever I decide, he will support me.

* * *

We are sitting on the lawn as Storm gives a final farewell speech for the Professor. How he died for his dream of Peace, but his memory lives on. 

I sit next to Bobby, feeling his hand on my knee. We have been growing apart lately. Avoiding each other. But now we are united in grief.

I bow my head in sorrow, and see my boyfriend take the hand of Kitty Pryde, sitting next to us. Her bare hand. Skin to skin contact.

Touch.

Something I will never have.

Storm finishes her speech and I stand up, walking to the Professor's Grave Marker and placing a rose next to the candle that burns there.

* * *

I stand in front of the window of my room and look down at the pond in the garden. 

Bobby has frozen the water, and he and Kitty are skating, hand in hand.

They laugh as they skate. He catches her when she stumbles, pulling her close, and holding her there.

Bobby and I would hold each other like that, once. My inability to touch is drawing a line between Bobby and I. Bobby has never pressured me, but he is a guy, a teenaged guy, and I know he wants more, even if he will never say so.

I can't kiss my boyfriend without killing him. Now I see him skating with Kitty, and I have never felt so alone in my life.

I watch for a few moments longer, then turn away.

* * *

I have packed my bag, and I am walking down the hall, leaving the Manor. Even if the 'Cure' doesn't work, I want to at least try. 

Of course, Logan catches me in the act. "Need a lift, Kid?"

I try to explain before he can stop me from leaving. I tell him how I want all the things that everyone else seems to take for granted. A touch, a hug, a handshake. A kiss.

Logan frowns, and I brace myself for a lecture, but he only asks if I am doing this for some boy.

I blink, surprised, and ask him why he isn't telling me to go back to my room and unpack. Logan gives me this part sad, part amused half-smile. "I'm not your father, Kid. I'm your friend. If you want to do this, just make sure that you do it for yourself."

I smile at him, knowing that he does understand why I want this, and supports me. He is wrong about one thing, though. Logan may be gruff, and has several bad habits like drinking and smoking, but hehas always been protective of me, and if I had to choose a father, it would be him.

* * *

I get off the bus, looking around. People are running as a burst of flame comes from nearby. Somehow, I get the feeling that John, the Pyromaniac, Bobby's Ex- best friend, had decided to express his feelings about the Cure.

Even so, I feel strangely detached. Other people's opinion's don't matter to me right now.

The only thing that matters to me is the Cure inside the building in front of me.

My Cure.

My Salvation.

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Author's Note: So, opinions, anyone? _

_Should I continue, should I scrap the idea? Review and tell me what you think._

_Nathalia_


	2. Mystique

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own the X-Men or any associated characters. They belong to Marvel and whoever else._

_**Summary:** Different Points of View concerning the cure during the third Movie._

_**A/N:** OK, I just looked at my account stats and found out that I have a grand total of two reviews for over 140 hits! Unfair, people. REVIEW, even if only to tell me what other characters you want me to do!

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**Mystique: Slavery and Betrayal**

Getting caught in the act is usually somewhat humiliating, but in this case it was worth it.

I should have been more careful, more aware of my surroundings while I was searching through the files at that laboratory, but what I found was enough to shock me into dropping my guard.

I discovered that the homo sapiens had developed a "Cure" for mutants.

What do they mean; "Cure."? There is nothing wrong with us. Nothing that needs curing.

I will deny it to my dying day, but the very thought that someone would try to turn us, the _homo superior,_ into homo sapiens both infuriated, and scared the living shit out of me.

* * *

I told the interrogators that I didn't answer to my slave name of 'Raven Darkholme'.

My slave name, because it tried to force me into the persona of a mere human. This cure would enslave all of mutant kind, just as surely as if they had put us in shackles and burned us with a branding iron. It would erase what made us mutants, above them.

It would chain us down to their level.

But I would not allow myself to panic. It was only a matter of time before Magneto came to collect me, so I could just pass the time by playing with the human's simple minds. The looks on their faces never failed to amuse me.

Secretary Trask's expression when they found out I had been impersonating him had been priceless.

* * *

I was in their moving prison, when Magneto came for me. I had morphed into the President of the USA, and I could tell how much it was getting on the guard's nerves. _Let me go, I am so far above you._

Then I morphed into the form of a little girl. _Yes mommy, I'll be a good little mutant. I promise I'll play nice with the stupid humans._

The guard finally snapped. I smirked at him, "When I get out of here, I'm going to kill you."

He didn't get the chance to reply, as Magneto chose that moment to arrive, heralded by the sound of the cars being smashed. Erik can be subtle when he wants, but he always has enjoyed dramatic entrances.

The guard was distracted, and Magneto's hold on the prison truck made him lose his balance. He stumbled against my cage, and I snapped his neck, taking his keys and freeing myself.

We freed the other prisoners and were about to leave when the other guard regained consciousness. Magneto had his back turned, but I saw the green tracking laser dancing over his shoulders.

A split-second before the guard could fire, I knocked Erik out of the way, and a dart embedded itself in my shoulder.

My body started to twitch and shake, and I knew that I had been forcibly injected with that terrible, horrifying poison.

_The Cure._

I could feel my red hair and scaled blue skin fading away, being replaced by short black hair and pale skin. My yellow eyes turned brown and white, and I was a homo sapien female, lying naked on the floor of the truck.

I could see surprise and thanks in Erik's eyes as I called out to him, desperate to know what would happen to me now.

There was true regret in his eyes as he looked at me, but that did not make the betrayal any less.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but you are not one of us anymore."

* * *

It was in their best interest that they left them, because I was ready to commit murder. Magneto for his betrayal, followed closely by that blasted little pyromaniac if he didn't stop staring at me like that.

I had been reduced to Raven Darkholme, the slave name that I hated so much.

I had been betrayed by the man that I trusted most, abandoned only moments after I saved his life.

Very Well.

I was no longer Mistique, and therefore was bound by no loyalty to Magneto, who threw me aside when I was no longer useful.

Betrayal can go both ways, and if Magneto is willing to abandon his best and most trusted, then I have no reason to remain true to him.

If I will be forced to live as a human, then so can he.

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Betrayed.

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A/N: OK, this time I would like to have more people review than just 1 out of 70. Tell me what you think and which character I should do next._

_Thanks, Nathalia_


	3. Magneto

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own the X-Men or any associated characters. They belong to Marvel and whoever else._

_**Summary:** Different Points of View concerning the cure during the third Movie._

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Magneto: A Living Hell**

Einstein once said that only two things were infinite: the Universe and human stupidity, and he was not so sure about the first.

They announced on the news that Mutation was a disease that should be gotten rid of.

The Homo Sapiens wish to 'cure' us.

The announcement could not have come at a better time. 

There is a war brewing between Mutants and Mankind, and everyone knows it. This 'cure' will seem like a blessing to some few mutants, but it will enrage countless more. Countless who believe that Mutation is not something to be ashamed of, but something that lifts them up, to a higher existence than mere humans.

* * *

I have seen this "Cure" first hand, when we were retrieving Mystique from the government prison. The guard was about to shoot me with the cure, when Mystique saw an deliberately stood in the way.

I have never seen anything so terrible since the holocaust.

Her body started to jerk and twitch. Then the visible change began.

It was like watching her transform into another of her impersonations, but in a twisted, perverse and horrifying, because she transforming into her pre-mutated state, from which there would be no return.

Despite what others may think, I am capable of feeling, and I did care for Mystique, loved her, even. But sacrifices must be made for the greater good, and to maintain credibility, I could not allow her to remain one of us.

The betrayal on her face was terrible to see, and I wished that there could be any way to avoid severing ties to her. But I had no choice.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but you are not one of us anymore."

I saw the disbelief and anger on her face as I spoke, and felt more than a touch of foreboding. If nothing else, Mystique was a survivor and a fighter, and those who angered her had a tendency to regret it for a very long time.

I had a sinking feeling that, as young Pyro would say, this was going to return to bite me on the ass.

* * *

When I smelled Charles's pet dog sniffing around, I accelerated our plans. We would move to the source of the cure on Alcatraz Island, leaving Multiple behind as a distraction.

It appears that the humans _do_ learn, after all. They have learned that using metal against me is both useless and, more often than not, counter-productive. Now they are using plastic, in the knowledge that I will find it harder to disarm them.

This is unexpected, but does not change things too drastically.

In chess, the pawns are sacrificed first. In the attack, the weaker of our ranks were sent in to thin the opponent's ranks, and use up as many of their "cure weapons" as possible.

Of course, the X-Men just had to show up as reinforcements.

They are good fighters, but they will never learn. By now, One would think that the Wolverine would have caught on to the fact that when you have an adamantinum skeleton, it is unwise to go up against the Master of Metal.

It turned out that he has, and was only a distraction for the Blue mutant of theirs, Beast, to sneak up and inject me with the serum.

After the Holocaust, after they had numbered me as though I was nothing more than an animal, I had sworn that no needle would ever again mark my skin.

Now a needle - or three, if One must be picky - has pierced my flesh again, but this time it has done far, far worse than a tattooed brand.

It has turned me into the thing that I hate most. A homo sapien. "I'm…"

Wolverine nods as he confirms my horrified statement. "One of them."

My worst waking Nightmare.

* * *

It is ironic, perhaps, that the one person who was considered the world's greatest terrorist, is now reduced to an old man, siting in the park playing one-sided chess and watching children play.

I have discovered, however, that the cure dosage depends on the mutant's power level. I was one of the most powerful mutants alive. I was injected with three doses.

I lift my hand, and one of the cheap metal pieces that I am playing with, the Dark Queen, trembles.

It is a very little movement, but it offers me hope for the future.

A small consolation, in my Living Hell.

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A/N: So, what does anyone think? Seriously, my hit counter says 356 reads so I know that this is being read by more than the five people who have reviewed so far. Give me something to go with._

_The suggestions so far for the next instalment are: Beast, Pyro, or Storm. Can you think of any others or give me a preference for which should come next._

_Like it, Hate it - tell me in a review._

_Thanks, Nathalia._


	4. Beast

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own the X-Men or any associated characters. They belong to Marvel and whoever else._

_**Summary:** Different Points of View concerning the cure during the third Movie._

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Beast: Political and Personal Ideals **

When I first heard about the Cure, I was in a meeting with the President and several upper-level officials, trying very hard to refrain from saying 'I Told You So' after watching a supposed interrogation of Mystique, which in actuality resulted in Mystique taunting and antagonising her would-be Questioners, then attacking and soundly defeating them, all while restrained with hand-cuffs.

I barely managed not to flinch when I found out that the source of the Cure was a mutant. To me, that somehow seemed very twisted.

We _homo superiors_ have no choice in our mutation, but if that knowledge became public, I give it all of ten minutes before someone takes offence and does something stupid, be it an angry mutant who thinks him an (Un)willing traitor to his own kind, or an Anti-Mutant fanatic who is opposed on principal to the idea that a Mutant was involved in one of the greatest events this Millennium.

When I met the boy, it was a very strange feeling to see the blue fur disappearing , changing into normal human skin. I barely heard him apologise, or heard myself accept it and reassure him in a dazed and distracted voice. After I left, I went immediately to talk to Charles Xavier about the matter. This had given me much to think about.

* * *

On a political level, I was both impressed and worried. It was an amazing scientific breakthrough, but how long would it be before someone succumbed to the temptation of abusing this 'Cure', and everything went to hell. 

On a personal level, I had mixed feelings. My mutation was part of me, and I did not think that it was a part that I was willing to give up. But as I told Ororo, not all of us found it so easy to blend in, and it was slightly annoying to always be shedding blue fur on the furniture.

I knew that some mutants may actually want the cure, while others, Magneto, for instance, would do anything they could to get rid of it, and happily die before willingly taking it.

One of the students, Rogue, I think, had an absorbing mutation, and was unable to have skin-to-skin contact for more than a few seconds at a time.

On the other hand, Ororo's mutation had resulted in her being worshiped as a goddess amongst her people back in Kenya. They were accurate enough, calling her 'Beautiful Windrider'. I could not see her willingly give up her gifts.

I believed it to be the same with that new fellow, Wolverine, with advanced healing, adamantinum claws, and an attitude. He seemed more annoyed and disbelieving that I called him 'boy' than particularly concerned with the issue at hand.

Socrates once said that if the whole world depended on today's youth, he could not see the world lasting another 100 years. Wolverine seems intent on proving him right.

What Ororo sees in him, I shall never know.

* * *

I was sad to be proven right about the use of the Cure being abused. 

It had been made into a weapon, in order to nuteralize mutants. This news came out when Magneto attacked the moving prison holding Mystique and other Mutant prisoners (Again, it is tempting to say 'I told you so').

A guard attempted to shoot Magneto with the cure, but Mystique took the dart in his place. Magneto was now warned of the cure weapon, and escaped with the other mutants, leaving Mystique, now Raven Darkholme, behind.

I thought this to be a bad move. I may not like the woman, but she is a great believer in Darwin's theory that the female of the species is far more dangerous than the male.

* * *

When I found out about this, I gave my resignation. 

My personal morals would not allow me to work for a government that would sink to such levels, and politically, I knew that war had been brewing on the horizen for a long time, that this would be the proverbial final straw on the camel's back. If you hit a man enough times, then eventually, even a Pacifist will start hitting back.

When the war started, I wanted to be back with my own kind.

* * *

I am a diplomat at heart, but I still fought with the X-men when Magneto attacked Alcatraz with the intent of destroying both the cure and its source. I helped Wolverine inject Magneto with the cure, despite the turmoil it caused me. 

The world changed that night, and I played a part in it's events. For good or ill, things would never be the same again.

The Government appointed me as Ambassador to the United Nations, which was a step forward, and I can only hope that we can continue to move forward peacefully.

To Quote a recent saying, "The road may be long, but it does not get any shorter by just standing there.

Whatever happens, happens, and we will meet it as it comes.

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A/N: I have a maths question for everyone. If my hit-counter says 524 readers, and I have eight reviews, what percentage of people have bothered to take five seconds out of their life to review. _

_I am feeling very deprived here. Feedback is a good thing, everyone._

_Seriously, tell me what you think._

_Nathalia._


	5. Alternate Rogue

_Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. Deal with it._

_Summary: Different Points of View concerning the cure during the third Movie._

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Rogue: Is It Worth It?**

I was sitting in the lounge when they first announced it on TV.

A cure for the Mutant Gene.

Was it true? Could it be true? A chance to be free of the curse that everyone is calling a gift.

I run to the Professor's office, and burst in without knocking. He is sitting there with Storm and Logan, who is exchanging glares with a blue-furred mutant that I do not recognize. They exchange looks as I blurt out the question that I so desperately want the answer to.

They pause, and do not speak for a long moment. Then Storm tells me that no, they cannot. Because there is nothing to cure. She walks out of the room, obviously in a bad mood, but Logan gives me a look that I know well. A look that says that he knows where I am coming from, even if nobody else does. That whatever I decide, he will support me.

I am reassured by the knowledge that I will have at least one person on my side if I choose to take the Cure, even as a small part of me wonders if Storm isn't right.

* * *

We are sitting on the lawn as Storm gives a final farewell speech for the Professor. How he died for his dream of Peace, but his memory lives on.

I sit next to Bobby, feeling his hand on my knee. We have been growing apart lately. Avoiding each other. But now we are united in grief.

I bow my head in sorrow, and see my boyfriend take the hand of Kitty Pryde, sitting next to us. Her bare hand. Skin to skin contact.

Touch.

Something I will never have.

Storm finishes her speech and I stand up, walking to the Professor's Grave Marker and placing a rose next to the candle that burns there.

* * *

I stand in front of the window of my room and look down at the pond in the garden.

Bobby has frozen the water, and he and Kitty are skating, hand in hand.

They laugh as they skate. He catches her when she stumbles, pulling her close, and holding her there.

Bobby and I would hold each other like that, once. My inability and reluctance to touch is drawing a line between Bobby and I. Bobby has never pressured me, but he is a guy, a teenaged guy, and I know he wants more, even if he will never say so.

I can't kiss my boyfriend without killing him. Now I see him skating with Kitty, kissing her, and I have never felt so alone in my life.

I watch for a few moments longer, then turn away.

* * *

I have packed my bag, and I am walking down the hall, leaving the Manor. Even if the 'Cure' doesn't work, I want to at least try.

Of course, Logan catches me in the act. "Need a lift, Kid?"

I try to explain before he can stop me from leaving. I tell him how I want all the things that everyone else seems to take for granted. A touch, a hug, a handshake. A kiss.

Logan frowns, and I brace myself for a lecture, but he only asks if I am doing this for some boy.

I blink, surprised, and ask him why he isn't telling me to go back to my room and unpack. Logan gives me this part sad, part amused half-smile. "I'm not your father, Kid. I'm your friend. If you want to do this, just make sure that you do it for yourself."

I smile at him, knowing that he does understand why I want this, and supports me. He is wrong about one thing, though. Logan may be gruff, and has several bad habits like drinking and smoking, but he has always been protective of me, and if I had to choose a father, it would be him.

* * *

I get off the bus, looking around. People are running as a burst of flame comes from nearby. Somehow, I get the feeling that John, the Pyromaniac, Bobby's Ex- best friend, had decided to express his feelings about the Cure.

Even so, I feel strangely detached. Other people's opinion's don't matter to me right now.

The only thing that matters to me is the Cure inside the building in front of me.

But is it really what I want? Suddenly I am not so sure.

I look at the building again. It is in flames, with burning objects scattered nearby, and people running around, trying to put out the fire on their skin and clothing.

I frown, remembering the time that I absorbed John, years ago. I used my power for good then, and helped to save lives. I remember my last Danger Room session, when I briefly absorbed Piotr. He was disorientated for a few seconds, but it helped 'save' both of our lives. I remember before I met Logan, when I was on the run. I used my power to protect myself when a drunken trucker decided that I was fair game and tried to get a little too friendly.

If I am honest with myself, I can admit that there are ways around touch, and one of the psyches in my mind points out some of those ways can be better than skin-to-skin touch, in certain scenarios. I try to ignore it, blushing at one of the suggestions.

My powers can help me, can help others, and maybe someday I will learn control or find a way to temporarily negate them when necessary. But even if I don't, am I really ready to give them up? Will the part of me that will always be an X-(Wo)Man let me? Do I even want to give them up?

No. I can't go through with it.

* * *

I arrive back at the mansion just as the X-Men are boarding the blackbird.

Bobby and the others are already on board, and I catch Logan just before he does the same. I explain that I couldn't go through with it, that I would stay behind and protect the mansion in case this was a trap/decoy by Magneto or the Government.

Not like it would be the first time.

Logan looks at me, with the glint in his eyes and the barest hint of a smirk that says he is proud of me, of what I am doing, even if he will never admit it out loud.

I give him a quick kiss on the cheek, just enough to take a small amount of his powers, but not enough to cause any lasting effects, and we part ways, ready to take a stand.

* * *

I am sitting in my room when Bobby comes in.

I explain that I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't be cured, because there was nothing to cure in the first place. My boyfriend looks at me. "It's Okay, Rogue …Marie."

I give him a gentle smile coupled with a slightly acidic Look, fully aware of the devastating effect it has always had on him. "I know," the _dummy_ is left unspoken, "It's what I wanted."

He takes my gloved hand in his, and we stand side by side, looking out the window at the students returning.

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_A/N: I didn't like the way Rogue was portrayed in the movies as a weak little girl constantly going on about her deadly mutation. Especially since she is portrayed as such a strong character everywhere else. So I was watching the deleted scenes in the DVD special features and decided to do an alternate Rogue chapter the way I think it should have gone._

_Review and tell me what you think,_

_Nathalia_


	6. Storm

_Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or the associated works. Do we have to go over this every time?_

_Summary: See previous chapters.

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**Storm: Nothing to Cure.**

I was in the Professor's office with him, getting ready to intervene between Logan and Hank when they announced the Cure on the news.

The very idea both scared and horrified me.

The Cure may seem like a good idea to some, but I think that it is the worst thing that could have happened to Mutant kind, tying or even beating the Mutant Registration Act.

All right, I admit that I am probably biased in the matter, as I can still hear the beat of tribal drums carried on the hot winds back home in Kenya, where I was worshipped as a goddess because of my powers.

I know that not everyone has such a wonderful gift, or as Hank pointed out, can blend in so easily, but to me the Cure seems like cutting off a limb or something.

That is why I scowled when Rogue ran in, asking if the rumors about the cure where true.

I suppose that I can see where she is coming from, her powers of Absorption not allowing her skin to skin contact, possibly for the rest of her life, but another part of me is screaming that she should not even consider the idea, that it was so very wrong!

I look at the others in the office. The professor is unreadable as usual. Hank looks like he is trying to decide what to say and Logan is wearing the rare look of understanding that only Rogue seems to bring out. He is willing to wait before forming judgment. It is one of the things that I like about him.

Now, if he could only extend the same patience and understanding to the rest of us…

I turn my attention back to Rogue, who looks so hopeful, as though the weight of the world rest on my answer. I feel a tug at my heart at her crestfallen expression when I tell her that no, they can't cure us.

Because there is nothing to cure.

* * *

Not long after this, Logan and I are sent to Alkali Lake, to investigate some kind of surge that we all felt, powerful enough to send Logan and me running to the Professor's office.

I cannot resist showing off slightly when Logan comments on the thick fog. He actually smiles at me for it.

Then we find Jean.

* * *

Logan. Is. An. Idiot.

Don't get me wrong, I love the man, but if the Professor says something, there is usually a reason for it. Therefore, why was Logan stupid enough to wake Jean up and let her escape less than five minutes after the Professor said not to?

Now not only do we have an absolutely trashed Med Bay, we're stuck tracking down Jean and hoping that Magneto doesn't get there first.

* * *

And of course things just couldn't be that simple.

Magneto beat us to the Grey's house and the Professor insisted on going in alone, leaving Logan and me outside with a few of Magneto's lackeys. Now I have to restrain Logan and resist the urge to electrocute that bitch of a speed-mutant, Callisto, who keeps smirking at me from the other side of the fence.

Calm. Remain calm. Do not fry Callisto to the other side of the continent.

Oh, Fuck that. Something is going on inside and Logan and I are going in.

* * *

It has been two days since the showdown at the Grey house, and this is the first time that I have managed to go over an hour without bursting into tears.

The Professor is dead, and I have been chosen as his successor. Now I stand in the gardens, accompanied by many of the students, giving the eulogy for the Professor.

I am barely able to understand what I am even saying. I say that it is the destiny of great men never to live to see their dreams fulfilled, but all I can think of is my mind repeating 'he is dead' over and over and over.

I look up to see Logan standing on a nearby balcony. He acknowledges me with a sad look, and then turns away.

Rogue stands, coming forward to place a single rose at the base of the marker, and I turn away, no longer able to hide my tears.

* * *

I find Logan in his room, shoving things into a backpack.

I don't need to ask where he is going, because I already know.

He is going after Jean, to try to bring her back to us. Because he loves her.

I do not try to make him stay; knowing that it will be a waste of both time and breath, but point out that he will eventually have to make a choice. "If you're going to be with us, then be with us!"

He acknowledges me, and then walks out. Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?

* * *

Sometimes, I hate being right.

Jean is with Magneto, they are building an army, ready to march on Alcatraz Island and the source of the cure, and six X-Men are all that stand in their way.

Iceman. Beast. Shadowcat. Colossus. Wolverine. And me, Storm.

I join the others as Wolverine finishes an impromptu pep-talk with the younger three. They turn to board the jet, and Logan looks at me. "They're ready, Storm."

High Praise from Logan. I return his look and nod, managing to hide the tremor in my voice. "I know. But are you ready? To do what you have to, when the time comes?"

We sit down in the jet and strap ourselves in. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to dispel my fears. The first time I am leading a mission on my own, and it has to be one with small chance of success and the fate of the world in the balance.

It's all good, we can do this. It's going to be… Oh Goddess, we're going to die!

* * *

It is unbecoming, I suppose, but I can't help feeling a small amount of smug satisfaction at Magneto's look of annoyance when we make our appearance. Logan and I both try not to laugh when Kitty accidentally phases herself and Bobby through the ground when they jump from the jet. The resulting 'Don't ever do that again!' is a slight amusement in a dire situation.

Then I have no time to think as Magneto's mutants attack again.

The battle is a vicious one, and a part of me screams at fighting and killing my own kind, even as another part weeps at the necessity of it. I ruthlessly shove them aside and concentrate on the fight.

Callisto attacks me, both of us looking to end this once and for all. Her super-speed aids her, but I finally manage to throw her onto a piece of wire fencing and hit it with a lightning bolt.

Kitty has disappeared from the battle, running to stop the Juggernaut from reaching the child inside the lab. I wish her luck.

Magneto is throwing cars as Pyro lights them on fire. We take cover to come up with a plan. My eyes fall on a clip of Cure Darts. Can we really bring ourselves to deliberately use it on our own kind? Wolverine looks at me. "We work as a team."

Yes. We can because we must. "Best Defense is a good Offence."

He gives me that roguish half-smirk of his. Control, Storm! You can swoon _after_ the fight! "Hey, Tin-man," an annoyed look from Colossus, "How's your throwing arm?"

Beast sneaks up behind Magneto as Colossus throws Wolverine at him and plunges the Cure into him. Something tears inside of me as I see his dawning expression of horrified realization. "I'm…"

Logan nods, "One of them."

Magneto's expression changes to one of resolute acceptance, the look of one who knows he is lost, but is determined not to let it be for nothing. I mentally wince as he turns to Jean, who has been watching dispassionately. "This is what they want, for all of us."

Oh boy. I hope Logan can talk her out of this. He looks like he was getting through to her, when the Army shows up shooting. There goes that idea, Jean is pissed.

Sheets of water start to rise out of the surrounding bay. Power surges from Jean, literally atomizing everything around her.

I hurry to help Hank try to evacuate the others. I catch Logan's eyes for a split second. He is ready. I send a swift prayer to the Bright Lady, hoping that Logan will not die with her, and run to the jet.

* * *

Life returns to the semi-normal, back at the Institute.

The Professor's marker has been joined by two others, Jean Grey and Scott Summers. I visit them daily, as does Kitty. We stand in front of the graves, just watching, and remembering.

Bobby and Rogue are going stronger than ever, and I am frequently catching Logan giving the poor boy death glares to stop him from getting too close to Rogue. Somehow I doubt that it is Bobby's health he is concerned about. I wonder if Rogue will ever call him on the 'over-protective father' attitude, but oh well.

Logan seems to be more at peace, as though he has finally found a place in the world. He still mourns Jean, but seems to be recovering. Good. He is still protective of Rogue, and I find myself gleefully anticipating the fireworks if she does call him on it, or if Rogue and Bobby get really Serious. I am sure they will put Jubilee's finest to shame.

Most of the students have returned, along with several new ones. Classes start again in a few weeks, which means I will have to start interviewing new instructors. When I see Charles in the afterlife, I am going to give him _such_ an earful about not warning me about all the paperwork involved in running this place. Successor, my ass!

Yes, life is good.

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	7. Wolverine

_Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.  
__Summary: See previous chapters.  
NOTE: Some of the scenes were taken from the novelization, and may not have been seen or may differ from the movie._

**Wolverine: Choose For Yourself**

I was in the office with Chuck, Storm and a blue, furry guy when we firs heard about the new medical 'Cure'.

Thanks, but I've had enough of government labs and medical experimentation to last me a possibly immortal lifetime.

I voice this opinion, and a jab at the Government, and the blue guy glares at me. "Watch your mouth, boy. I've been fighting for mutants since before you had claws."

I glare back, then look at Storm. "Did he just call me 'boy'?"

Storm ignores us both and turns to the Professor, looking morally furious. "But who would want to do such a thing?"

Blue-boy gives her a sad smile and makes a comment about blending in and shedding on the furniture.

I am about to make a sarcastic remark about how long it would be before 'blending in' stopped being optional when there is a knock at the door and Rogue bursts in.

Truthfully, I am not surprised.

Most people consider Rogue to be shy and withdrawn. Some of them even think that her mutation labels her a freak among freaks, unwanted. If Rogue hadn't made me promise not to, I would have skewered that popsicle-boy, Bobby, for telling her that, never mind that it was actually Mystique posing as him at the time.

Some people even call Rogue weak, afraid of her powers. But I know differently.

Rogue is strong. Strong enough to endure what she must, in order to keep others safe, no matter the cost to herself.

The shyness and apparent fear is an act, a wall. A defense to keep others safely at arm's length, and away from her sometimes deadly mutation.

That takes strength that even I admire. Strength that makes me proud to know her. Girl's like a daughter to me, one that I would have been proud to claim, had I ever wanted kids.

I look around at the other adults. The professor is wearing the unreadable look that I find so annoying. Blue-boy seems to be thinking something through, and Storm still looks outraged, though now on Rogue's behalf as she informs her that there is nothing to cure, the storms out of the office.

For someone who was worshiped as a goddess, she can be just as human as the rest of us when it concerns those she cares about. One of the things that I like about her.

I don't know how I look, but I feel the sense of understanding that only Rogue seems to bring out.

I do understand, because aside from my advanced healing, my mutation was forced upon me. Rogue and I both know what it is like to have our mutation feel like a curse. We are very alike sometimes, more than most people would like to admit.

I mentioned it to the Professor once, almost as a joke, and had the distinct satisfaction of seeing him pale slightly.

Can't say I blame him. As multiple people have frequently pointed out, one of me is more than enough for the world.

* * *

A mental blast of something had sent Storm and I to the Professor's office at a run. Four words had filled me with a mix of joy and trepidation; "Get to Alkali Lake." 

We had gone, witnessed some very strange phenomena, and returned with Jean.

Storm has been giving me annoyed looks. Apparently I should be more detailed in a mission report.

We are currently standing in the Med Lab, watching the Professor try to mentally stabilize an unconscious Jean.

Eventually, I ask the obvious (and tactless, if the resulting expressions are anything to go by) question of what is going on with her, and am promptly horrified at what the Professor tells me. When she was younger, her powers were unstable, causing him to lock away part of her mind. Perhaps I over-reacted, but that struck a little too close to home for me.

* * *

I expect a hailstorm at any moment. Furious just doesn't seem to cover Storm's mood right now. 

Fine, I admit that it was stupid, but look at things from my angle. Someone I deeply care about is in a lab, hooked up to machines and wires in a way that is disturbingly similar to the nightmares I have of my barely remembered past.

I freed Jean, nearly got some action, and then ruined my chances by bringing up first One-Eye, then the Professor.

Jean said that he had 'tamed' me, and went psycho, trashing the Med Lab and throwing me into a wall.

I wake up to find Jean gone and a very annoyed Professor, who gives me a very detailed mental telling-off as we go to find Jean again.

* * *

Ow. 

Just ow.

We tracked Jean to her childhood home, only to be met by Magneto, some tattooed chick who is starting to seriously piss off Storm, assorted minions, and a huge guy with a funny helmet who had just thrown me however many meters and straight through a wall.

Storm is fighting the tattooed chick (and what I wouldn't give for a camera!), while the Professor is engaging in a three-way battle between himself, Magneto and Jean.

Things are not looking good, as Jean has gone psychotic again, and while I enjoy seeing Magneto get tossed around like a rag doll, I am worried for Chuck.

Everything is levitating around me, most of it smashing or being pinned against the ceiling. I make my way toward Jean and the Professor by digging my claws into the roof and dragging myself along, but I fail to get there in time.

Magneto and his minions have made themselves scarce, and I kneel in shock before the empty wheelchair as Storm wraps her arms around me and sobs.

* * *

Back at the mansion, a memorial service is being held for the Professor. Rogue has cried herself out on my shoulder, one of my more terrifying experiences, and now sits, stone-faced, next to her boyfriend, holding his hand as Storm reads the eulogy. She stands and lays a rose at the base of the marker as I watch from a nearby balcony.

* * *

Later that night, I catch Rogue sneaking out with a determined stride and a duffle bag. I have a fairly good idea of where she is going. "Need a lift, kid?" 

She jumps and spins around, trying to defend her reason for going, though I don't know if it is to herself or to me. "You don't know what it's like, Logan."

Um, claws, no memory, adamantium skeleton. "Yeah, I do."

She gets the point. "I want to be able to touch people, Logan. A hug. A handshake. A kiss."

I frown. If the Popsicle has anything to do with this… "I hope you're not doing this for some boy."

She blinks, obviously not expecting any sort of support, let alone encouragment. "Shouldn't you be telling me to go back upstairs and unpack?"

I give Rogue a small half-smile. "I'm not your father, kid. I'm your friend." Not entirely true, I will always think of Rogue as my daughter, but right now she needs a friend's support more than a father's protectiveness. "If you wanna go, then go. Just make sure it's what you want."

Rogue smiles, and starts to leave, but quickly turns at the door. "Marie. My name's Marie."

* * *

Storm catches me in my room, shoving clothing into a bag, and calls me on my plan to find Jean. There is a trace of what almost sounds like jealousy in her voice when she pins my motivation as 'Because you love her.' 

She is falling into Team-Leader mode as she does not protest, but informs me that if I was going to be with them, then be with them.

Are all goddesses this bossy? Storm leaves before I can reply.

* * *

You would think that I would have learned my lesson by now. Always have a very large distraction in place before going up against Magneto. 

Seriously, I sneak through the forest, get stabbed and wind up killing several minions, and finally locate Jean, only to be lifted up by my adamantium bones and thrown half way through the forest.

If I believed in God, I would be thanking him very thoroughly for my healing factor. I don't even want to think about how many trees I literally smashed through.

At least I managed to discover what the maniac has planned to do next.

An attack on Alcatraz Island, and the mutant cure held there.

I return to the mansion as fast as possible; the X-Men need to know about this if we want to do anything to stop Magneto.

* * *

I am in my X-Man uniform, trying not to comment on Beast's, which obviously hasn't been worn for a long time, judging by the fit. Storm is preparing the Blackbird. 

I stop at the sight ahead of me. Oh, no. "You're not coming."

Kitty, Bobby and Piotr are standing nearby, also dressed for combat. Kitty flashes me a bright smile, which I ignore. I know she had something to do with Rogue leaving, and return the smile with a no-way-in-hell glare that she somehow manages to miss. "Remember you said our uniforms were on order? Look what just arrived in the mail!"

Oh, shut up, kid. You weren't even at Alkali Lake, and this is not the time for smart remarks!

Ororo is enjoying this far too much as I try to impress the importance of this on the brats. It won't be like classes. It will be blood and tears and death. They still insist on coming and we have no time for argument.

Everyone else is on the Blackbird when I pick up a familiar scent. Rogue is back, and she is still wearing gloves.

I have never been good with expressing feelings, so I don't bother. "You almost missed the flight, darlin'. Go get suited up."

She smiles at me, and I see how far she has come from the scared child that I picked up so many years ago, who had asked me with complete innocence and sincerity if it hurt when my claws came out, to the woman before me now.

Bobby calls to me from the jet, and Rogue holds up a gloved hand. "I can't control it, but I can't run away either. The cure isn't the answer, but I'm working on it."

I smile at her. "Get suited up. I'll tell Storm."

Rogue shakes her head. "I'm not coming, Logan. Someone needs to stay and look after the kids, and it wouldn't be the first time Magneto has faked us out."

Disregarding the fact that I don't remember much beyond about 20 years ago, I don't think I've ever been so proud of anyone in my life. "That's my girl."

I read somewhere that the Queens of ancient Sparta had a ritual saying when their Kings rode to war. _Come back with your shield, victorious, or on it._

Rogue stands as tall and proud as one of those Queens, ready to defend her home while we are off fighting Magneto. "Go kick the bad guy's butt, shugah."

I toss her a quick nod and join the others on the Blackbird.

* * *

The battle has started without us by the time we reach Alcatraz, prompting Beast to say what sounds like "Oh my stars and garters."  
I stifle a snicker. Where did that come from? 

Storm's lightning lights up the sky, making a crater in the ground to herald her arrival.

Beast leaps from roof to wall to roof to wall to wall until he reaches the ground.

Colossus only jumps, landing as a solid rock of steel, forming a nice little crater of his own.

Shadowcat holds on to Iceman, phasing them straight through the ground when they land, then bobbing up like a cork. Iceman looks ready to hurl. "Don't ever do that again."

I tell the Humans to fall back, and hold the line as Magneto yells out for his troops to finish us. A wave of forty against a line of six.

There are a few things that I like about my mutation, aside from the healing factor. My almost feral instincts make me stronger and faster than most, human and mutant alike, allowing me to anticipate my opponents' moves and making me very hard to hit.

For my opponents, it is sometimes even worse when they manage to make contact. With my adamantium skeleton, hitting me is like hitting a steel wall. Punching me in the jaw tends to result in a broken hand, and when I hit back, one blow is usually enough for an instant _lights-out_. Most of the time, the claws are only a last resort.

Beast moves even faster than I do, and with an almost equal ferocity. "I thought you were a diplomat!"

He shrugs, and starts to quote someone I have never heard of, then throws one of Magneto's minions half-way back to their boss and cuts of the quote with "Oh, you get the point!"

Storm rises into the air like an avenging goddess, lightning flashing around her as she drives the Brotherhood back with gale-force winds and rain that easily top Category Five on the Hurricane Scale. Callisto sneaks up on her and leaps from a rooftop, knocking them both out of the sky. A quick fight ensures, ending with Callisto being pinned to a metal fence as Storm hits it with lightning.

The other three are working well together, Bobby and Kitty icing their opponents or phasing through them, distracting them until Piotr knocks them out with a steel fist.

The Juggernaut runs to the main building, smashing through to find the mutant within. Kitty follows running to get there first.

I am up against a mutant whose arms keep growing back as soon as I chop them off. He laughs at me to bring it on. OK. I land a kick as hard as possible between his legs. He drops like a stone. "Grow those back!"

Magneto begins throwing cars, having Pyro light them on fire. Wonderful time for them to stop being divas.

We dive for cover, trying to form a plan to stop them. My eyes land on several cure darts, lying forgotten on the ground. I glance at Storm, seeing the turmoil in her eyes. She meets my gaze with her own. "Best defense is a good offence."

Is now a bad time to think that she looks good enough to kiss? "We work as a team." I grab Iceman's attention, "Yo, popsicle!"

He throws me an annoyed look, "Don't call me that!"

I smirk. "Make me – think you can take out your old friend?"

He nods, and I turn to Ororo, brushing away an invisible piece of dirt, resolving to never let Rogue find out about this. The kid will have the guts to tease me about it. "I know it'll be hard, but we need some cover."

There is almost no moisture to be found, with all the blazing cars around, but her eyes turn artic-white as she reaches out, drawing a thin layer of fog from somewhere.

Iceman and Pyro are fighting it out, Pyro's fire slowly pressing forward as Iceman lets his barriers slowly give way as he turns himself into living ice. Arrogant as always, Pyro fails to notice this. "You're out of your league, Bobby. Maybe you should have stayed in school."

Iceman surges up from his kneeling position, head-butting his old friend with all the anger he has been suppressing since Pyro's betrayal. "You never should have left."

Pyro drops, out like a light. The Ice-cube is starting to earn my respect. Maybe I'll stop telling Rogue that he isn't good enough for her.

Colossus lifts me up and throws me at Magneto, a deliberate distraction that we know he will see coming. Magneto lifts a hand, slamming me to the ground and lifting me up again. "You never learn, do you?"

Hey, easy on the skeleton, bub! Ow. In spite of the pain he is causing, I give him a pleasant smirk. "Actually, I do."

Beast springs up from where he has been sneaking up behind him, driving the cure darts into Magneto's flesh.

His expression is one of pain, terror and unspeakable loss as realization dawns on him. "I'm…"_ One of them._

I confirm the remainder of that thought and turn to Jean, who is standing aloof and unaffected by the destruction around her. "It's over, Jean."

Of course, the Military just has to choose this moment to show up and start shooting anything that moves. Jean goes berzerk.

Everyone who can still move makes a run for it, Magneto included. Not all of them make it, and the closest term I can think of is 'atomized', as Jean literally blows them into the individual particles that made up their bodies.

Now I have a duty to perform. I'm the only one who can stop Jean, even if it kills me in the attempt. I fight for each painstaking step closer to her, close enough for the only shot I will ever get. Some faint trace of the Jean I once knew shines through the primal force of nature that she is now. "Save me."

My heart cries out in protest as my adamantium claws shred through her heart and she collapses into my arms, dead.

* * *

Things are finally settling down again. Bobby and Rogue are stronger than ever, Ororo has been doing a good job of running the school, even is she did slap me with danger-room training. She's lucky she's so cute. Hank is also teaching here, which is a very good thing, considering. 

There is still a very uphill struggle before mutants will be fully accepted by Humans, but for now, things look good.

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A/N: After way too long, this is finally updated. Unfortunately, I start TAFE tomorrow, so updates will not be as frequent. Meanwhile, review and tell me what you think. **_

_**Nat.**_


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